Til Death Do Us Part
by Mistress Ai
Summary: Life is harsh. Especially when you are betrothed to a complete stranger. But sometimes, things aren't always what they seem...Sesshoumaru learned that the hard way. New fic! Please R&R ppl!
1. Chapter 1

'Til Death Do Us Part 

**(A/N :) Konnichiwa! I'm Emerald Maiden and here's my new story! Please be kind; this is my first real attempt at a SessxKag story. Honestly, I'm very frightened of you all…Kidding! But seriously, critisim is appreciated in small doses. Some of us need to sleep at night, you know! J/K! ( I wonder how you'll take me seriously if I keep joking like this!) Well, I'm a very twisted writer, so expect anything. I also love to please, so give me some ideas 'cause I could use them! **

**Disclaimer : I don't own Sess-kun, Kagome-chan or any other character in this story… Exept the extra people that aren't in the anime or manga. Okay? Good.**

**Chapter 1: The Truth Hurts**

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

Miyuki sighed as her Mistress and friend refused to get out of bed. It was a beautiful morning in Sengoku Jidai, and Miyuki was to help dress and prepare her Mistress for her formal lunch with her family and the family of the Great Western lord, Inutaisho, that would take place in a few hours at the Western castle, also known as the West Peak. But that lunch could be completely jeopardized if her Mistress continued to refuse to wake up.

"Yes, please?" she asked, hoping to break her Mistress' resolve to sleep in.

"Um…No," was all she got.

Miyuki rolled her eyes. Her Mistress could be so childish sometimes. " But, Lady Kagome you have to wake up or else Lady Nanami will be very upset with me," Miyuki added wearily. She ran her fingers through her light brown hair. Kagome peeked through her silk sheets. That got her attention! "Well, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble…" she said, rising from her silk cocoon. Out came a breathtakingly gorgeous girl whose hair was a bit disheveled but it only made her look more natural. Her bright blue eyes gleamed as she seemed to emit light. Yes, Kagome was a heck of a sight.

She nodded and smiled, "Thank you, my Lady." She helped Kagome off her futon and quickly changed the sheets, as Kagome began to undress to take her bath. Once she was done, Miyuki helped finish Kagome undress and led her to the bathroom, sliding the door open for her and closing it behind her once they were in. Kagome stepped into the bath, which was more like a pool. Miyuki poured in some scalding hot water from a large jug and Kagome sighed contently as the water began to feel a lot better than it did before. "Is that better?" Miyuki asked. Kagome nodded in response. "Good," Miyuki said, walking over to Kagome with a brush and a cloth. "Bend over a little, please," she said, scrubbing Kagome's back thoroughly and passing a soft cloth over it afterwards. She handed the cloth to Kagome to do the rest.

She then grabbed a bowl filled with a glaze mixture; it was a mix of water, tree sap, crushed pine needles and sakura blossoms. "Oh, Miyuki, that smells heavenly!" Kagome said, beaming at her servant. Miyuki smiled back. "I added some sakura blossoms because I know you love them so much," she replied, pouring the substance into her hands. She rubbed her hands together and began to gently massage it into Kagome's hair. "I'll put it in, but you have to rinse…Or do you want me to pour in some water for you?"

Kagome slightly shook her head. "No, I'll rinse it myself. It's okay."

Miyuki nodded. She finished mixing it in and rinsed her hands in the water as Kagome immersed herself completely into the bath, washing the mixture out. Miyuki left the bathroom to get Kagome her towels. She came back with four towels and handed Kagome one of them. The raven-haired girl stepped out of the bath and wrapped the towel around her lithe body. She stood on one of the towels Miyuki had laid onto the bathroom's wooden floor while she took another one of the towels and dried her arms and legs with it. Miyuki had the fourth towel and was gently drying Kagome's hair. She then wrapped the towel around Kagome's head and left to prepare Kagome's clothing for the lunch.

With her body nice and dry, Kagome headed towards the bathroom door, but before she could open it, Miyuki opened it for her. After letting her walk through the door, Miyuki went in and took the towels she had left there. She walked back out, closing the door behind her and helped Kagome into her kimono; it was a white kimono with pink designs of vines and flowers on it and the obi was a vivid red. Kagome held her arms out while Miyuki wrapped the long sash around her. She handed Kagome a pair of white socks for her to put on. She had tied the kimono more like a yukata, so Kagome could sit more comfortably. **(A/N: Honestly, it's very difficult to walk and sit in a kimono; there a various steps to put the robe on. Imagine what the obi is like. You wear one rope-like sash, two more belts, I think, and the actual obi, which is this insanely long sash. I figure it's very uncomfortable and it's heavy. So, Kagome is very lucky Miyuki doesn't go through all that to put on her kimono. )**

While Kagome put her socks on, Miyuki removed the towel wrapped around her head and began to comb her hair. She gave Kagome a very pretty hair style. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with various red clips slipped into place with two sections at the front that fell loosely around her face. Some of it was clipped up which gave it a very serene look. Miyuki handed Kagome the small mirror. "How is it?" she asked, putting the comb away. Kagome smiled happily. "It's amazing! I love it!" Miyuki smiled at her Mistress, but was caught completely off guard by her hug. "Arigato, Miyuki-chan."

Miyuki hugged her back. When they pulled away, they were both laughing. "So, let's do the make-up," Miyuki said. She opened a small wooden chest and pulled out different lipstick colors. "Which color would you like, my Lady?" she asked. Kagome pondered on this for a moment. "Um…The red looks lovely…Especially the wine-colored one, but I'll wear the light pink one today."

Her servant only nodded, applying the rosy color to her lips. When she was done, she backed away from Kagome to get a better look; she was even prettier than she was before. Kagome never liked wearing a lot of make-up since it made people look like dolls, which was fairly disturbing by itself. Then you would realize who the person actually was, and you'd try not to vomit your dinner. **(A/N: Sorry for the gross out factor!)**

"Well, now we're done." Miyuki said getting up. Kagome did the same. They both headed for the door. "Let's go."

"Where are they? It doesn't take three hours to bathe and dress! Honestly!"

Kikyou paced as she waited for her younger sister, Kaede, and her cousin, Kagome. She and her mother, Lady Nanami, had been waiting for over twenty minutes. If it were up to her, they would have left twenty minutes ago! "Mother, may we please leave? I am tired of waiting for them!" Kikyou fumed. Her mother sighed. Kikyou was never a calm girl, as she would like people to believe. She was a perfectionist and was always on-edge if anything went wrong.

"Kikyou, please calm yourself," her mother instructed. "A lady is always patient and composed, even in the worst situations. You are seventeen years of age, so act like it."

Kikyou immediately stopped pacing. She knew better than to anger her mother. She turned back to the mansion's gates and saw two figures immerge from the doors. "Finally!" she said. She turned and hopped into one of the two carriages that were waiting behind her.

When Kagome and Miyuki reached Lady Nanami, they both bowed in respect. "Ohayogozaimasu, my Lady," they both said in unison. She nodded back. "Kagome, please try to dress yourself a little more quickly next time, alright?" she said softly. Kagome smiled at her. "Hai, I will." she replied. Kagome headed for the carriage that Kikyou had already entered and joined her.

Meanwhile, Miyuki was still with Lady Nanami. "Miyuki, you will come along. You will stay with Kagome at all times, is that clear?" she said strictly. Miyuki bowed gracefully. "Of course, my Lady. As you wish." She bowed again and headed to the carriage. Kagome smiled when she saw her enter. "Miyuki, she let you come?" she asked. Miyuki nodded. They hugged each other tightly. They let go and sat properly on the bench. Miyuki then bowed to Kikyou. "Ohayogozaimasu, Lady Kikyou."

Kikyou gave a nod as she waited for her servant to come join them. Almost magically, the carriage door opened and Kikyou's servant, Rie, entered. "Ohayogozaimasu, Lady Kikyou," Rie said bowing to Kikyou. She then took a seat beside her. Kikyou looked at her intently. When Rie didn't get the message, Kikyou hit her on the head. "Ow!" she said, rubbing the spot where she had been hit. Rie still didn't get it, so Kikyou took her head and hit it on the wall. Rie screamed in pain. "If you don't do it, you'll be eating dirt for a month! Now BOW!" Kikyou ordered. Rie got down on her knees in the space between the benches and bowed to Kagome.

"Ohayogozaimasu, Lady Kagome." she spewed the words like venom. Kagome frowned and looked at Kikyou. Kikyou only shrugged.

Kagome knew Kikyou didn't even like her all that much, but the fact that she had hit her own servant for not bowing to her was enough to make her speechless. She knew why Rie hated bowing to her—it was because Kagome was 15. Rie always wanted to be superior, but she couldn't just ignore those with a higher authority. Still, she resigned herself to greeting Kagome, and even Kaede, in the coldest way possible. She would only truly bow to Kikyou and Lady Nanami since they were older than her ( she was 16).

Everyone was silent on the way to the West Peak, when Kaede and her servant had finally joined them. She was riding in the first carriage with Lady Nanami.

Kagome gazed out at the scenery and caught Kikyou's eye. She mouthed, "Arigato."

Kikyou only nodded.

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

Jaken sighed at his Master's behavior. **(A/N: Seem a little familiar? I think so, too!)** "Sesshoumaru-sama, this Jaken knows that you do not wish to participate in this, but you cannot, I repeat, YOU CANNOT go against your Father's wishes," the little toad demon bowed as his Master walked right by him. "I know that. I just don't want to go." he said. He was growing more and more impatient as he was losing more and more time.

A knock was then heard on the door. A servant slid open the door and bowed graciously to Sesshoumaru. " My lord, your Father wishes to see you, your brother and the Lady in his study immediately." Sesshoumaru nodded as he followed the servant. She led him to the study and bowed to him, opening the door as she did. He nodded, dismissing her. He entered the study and closed the door behind him. As told by the servant, his younger brother, Inuyasha, his Father, Inutaisho, and the close friend who became family, Tomoko, were all waiting for him. "Sesshoumaru, pleased to see that you could join us," his Father said with a smile on his face. Sesshoumaru sat.

"Alright, you all know the members of the Higurashi clan are coming here for a meal. I and Lady Nanami will discuss the final arrangements for the weddings," he said, looking at Satomi. "Not you, Tomoko, since you are already courting the son of the Northern lord, Hiroyuki-sama."

Tomoko nodded. She was 17 now and was officially courting. She wore his Mate mark on the muscle between her shoulder and her neck—a nearly permanent hickey. She would soon get married and that was the best part of all. She had never been so in love.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha rolled their eyes; she could be so annoying sometimes. It was as if they could even **hear** her **think** about him!

"Well, Sesshoumaru you are to be engaged to Lady Kikyou, the eldest sister,"

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Father, must I marry a human? Is that not lowly and degrading?"

Inutaisho cleared his throat, "Are saying that I am lowly and degrading?" Sesshoumaru wanted to avoid this part of their conversation but knew it would eventually come up. He sucked it up.

"Father, **you** may have wanted to mate with a human, but **I** do not wish to do so."

The room was silent. It was as if they were all holding their breaths, scared that if they made a sound, they would anger the Western lord. Sesshoumaru looked at his Father who was rubbing his temples. Inutaisho sighed, "Sesshoumaru, please. Just try and make it work. I've seen those girls and they are beautiful beyond belief. Please, I'm asking you this from father to son."

Sesshoumaru sighed. "For now."

Kagome was still daydreaming when the carriage halted to a stop. Kikyou, Rie and Miyuki all began to disembark when Miyuki noticed Kagome was still sitting on the bench, as still as a rock. She gave a small chuckle, "Lady Kikyou, Rie-san, you may leave ahead of us. I'll wake the Lady from her daydream." Kikyou laughed at this as she left the carriage. Miyuki shook Kagome slightly.

"Wha—What?" she stuttered. Miyuki smiled. "Mistress, we have reached our destination." she said, leading Kagome out of the carriage. Kagome froze when she touched the ground. Miyuki whipped her head around to see why—Kagome was staring at the castle in complete awe. It was the most enormous thing she had ever seen in her life! They had seemingly passed through the gates, which were guarded by at least ten guards. The castle walls were completely intact as vines laced up some of them. From where she was, she could see a large garden of flowers on the eastern side of castle, accompanied by a small creek right beside it. The trees surrounding them were very tall but fit the scenery perfectly.

"Wow…This is so…Beautiful." Kagome whispered to herself. Miyuki finally tugged on her hand. Kagome looked at her quizzically. "My Lady, the others are waiting." the young servant said, dragging Kagome to the rest of the family. When the two finally reached them, they were greeted by the Great Western lord himself: Inutaisho.

"Lady Kagome, so nice to finally meet you," he said, politely bowing to her, which was totally unnecessary in her case. "No, the honor is mine," she said, giving a deep bow. He smiled at her, then turned to Lady Nanami. "What charming children you have, my Lady," he said. She bowed to him. "Oh, only Kikyou and Kaede are my children," she told him. He looked at her puzzled. "Kagome is my **niece**. Her mother, Higurashi Satsuki, died five years ago. I adopted Kagome so than she would not become orphaned, although her brother lives with my father." Nanami told the Western lord. He nodded, "I see. Well then, shall we eat?" He led them through the castle, to the dining room where Sesshoumaru, Tomoko and Inuyasha were already waiting. When they heard the dining room door slide open, they all stood to greet their guests.

_'Here come the ningen,' _Sesshoumaru thought to himself. He first laid eyes on their mother. _'Typical old woman,'_

She took the seat at the end of the table, opposite of their Father. Next he saw Kikyou. She was a very beautiful girl with her long black hair and her brown eyes, but _'She is empty inside, I can tell. Her beauty is only exterior…'_ She took the seat opposite him as she never took her eyes off him. Then Kaede walked in, taking the seat next to Kikyou. _'A child? Ridiculo—' _His thoughts were cut off when he laid eyes on Kagome. She gallantly entered the room, her long raven hair flowing as she did so. Her white, pink and red kimono complimented every curve of her body. But the thing that really startled him was the contrast between her kimono and her bright blue eyes. They were simply mesmerizing. _'And her face is so…Serene and natural, unlike that other one. It looks like if she smiled, her face would crack. Yet, **this** girl seems to demand attention, without even demanding it…Wait. Why am I, Sesshoumaru, thinking of a **ningen** this way? Although, she might be worthy of this Sesshoumaru's attention…'_ Kagome took the last seat, the one in the opposite direction of Inuyasha.

"Lady Nanami, I would like you to meet my children," Inutaisho said.Inuyasha, Tomoko and Sesshoumaru stood and bowed. "Lady Nanami, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Sesshoumaru." he said, sitting back down. Nanami bowed back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Nanami. I am Tomoko." she said, bowing again, then sitting back down. Lady Nanami smiled at her. "I am Inuyasha. It is nice to meet you, my Lady." he said, bowing. He took his seat. Nanami laughed, "Oh, my lord, **you** are the one with charming children!" Inutaisho laughed also. "Well, just like you, my Lady, only two of these children are mine," he said. He looked at Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. "You see, Tomoko is a family friend and since her parents died, I've been her caretaker."

Nanami nodded. "I see. Well, your children haven't met mine, so…" she said looking at Kikyou. Kikyou, Kaede and Kagome all rose and bowed. "This is my eldest daughter, Kikyou. She is seventeen years old."

Kikyou bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." She said this as she was sitting down. "This is my youngest daughter, Kaede. She is thirteen years old." Kaede did as Kikyou did. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Nanami smiled at Kaede's attempt to be like her sister. "And this is my niece,"

_'Niece? They're not **mother and daughter?** Odd.'_ Sesshoumaru thought, although he shouldn't have been surprised. Tomoko wasn't family, but you could tell that easily. Him, his Father and his younger brother all had silver hair. She had black hair with two silver streaks at the front. _'They look so much alike,'_

"Her name is Kagome. She is fifteen years old." Kagome bowed deeply at them. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you all!" she said happily. Tomoko laughed at this. "At least one of them seems like they're having a good time!" she said smiling back at Kagome.

"Alright then, let's eat!"

Quietly awakening…

I always, always wish

That these fleeting thoughts would reach you…

Kagome sang to herself as she explored the West Peak's interior. The lunch had been delicious. She had noticed how the looks had been exchange during the whole thing.

Unable to move forward across "just a little more" distance

The way I see before me is always blocked

Every time the days I want to see you but can't pile up

My strong heartbeat turns into heartbreak

Lady Nanami had been looking at Inutaisho and Inutaisho had been looking at her, while Inuyasha had been looking at Kikyou, who had been looking at Sesshoumaru, who had been looking her, who had been looking at him. Meanwhile, Kaede and Tomoko had been sharing smiles the whole time. It was a very weird lunch indeed.

If there is such a thing as "eternity"

I want to believe, even if I have to take the long way

Although I know that I've been hurt before because I'm clumsy

I won't stop; I won't give in to anyone

But she just couldn't get Sesshoumaru out of her head. If guys could be beautiful, he definitely would be. His whole being was absolutely breathtaking to her. She knew that they were here to finalize the wedding engagements and she hoped that she might be engaged to him.

I think of you and that alone is enough

To make the tears star to flow now

I always, always wish

That these fleeting thoughts would reach you…

"Who am I kidding?" she mumbled to herself. "He's probably engaged to Kikyou, not to me." She just sighed as she continued her way through the castle halls. The place was so beautiful. "Nothing like at home," she said. The Higurashi Mansion was a beautiful place to live in, but it just didn't compare to the West Peak. "Here's much more peaceful."

She then stopped and looked around. "Didn't I pass this before?" Well, the worst had finally happened: she was **lost**. "Shit!" she swore under her breath. _'Okay, Kagome, calm down. Just go **back** the way you came.'_

She turned around and was greeted by the sight of a large demon guard. "What are you doing, little girl?" he said laughing maniacally. "Nobody trespasses on my guarding area! Now you're gonna pay!"

He put both fists in the air, ready to smash them into her skull. _'Well, he definitely doesn't know that the family has company, so I guess I'd better run. But first…'_ She reached up and poked him in the eyes. He covered his eyes with his hands. "Aargh! My eyes! You little bitch!" he said, trying to hit her with his other hand. She ducked and crawled under his legs. He still had one hand over his eyes, so he didn't realize she had. She turned around and gave him a good kick in the ass, which made him trip and fall flat on his face. "Ack!" he said. She began to run, but the demon had grabbed her ankle and dragged her closer to him. His claws dug deep into her skin and she groaned in pain. He laughed even harder. "Think you can get away? Well, think again!"

He reached higher and let his claws dig into her thigh, ripping the kimono's fabric. "Aah!" she screamed in pain. She kicked him in the face with her wooden sandal. His nose began to bleed and it dripped onto the hem of the silk robe. He immediately let her go as she scrambled to get back up. "Where are you going?" he said. He got to his feet and grabbed her hair, pulling her down once again. He pulled on her hair as she screamed. "Let me go!" she shouted. He pulled harder. "Shut up, wench! I don't take orders from you!"

"But you take orders from **me**," a voice interrupted.

Both Kagome and the demon looked up to meet amber eyes. **Angry** amber eyes. "Let her go. Now." The demon immediately dropped her and she landed on her face. "Sesshoumaru-sama…I,um…She…" the demon stuttered. Sesshoumaru gave him a cold glare. "My Father will speak with you," he said. The demon bowed in respect. "It won't be a pleasurable talk. Now get out of my sight."

The demon quickly left the two. Kagome struggled to get up, so Sesshoumaru helped her up. He looked at her intently; her cheek was bruised because of her fall, her hair was completely disheveled, her lipstick was smeared and she had two serious wounds on her thigh and her ankle. Her beautiful silk kimono was completely ruined and her eyes were watery. "Arigato," she whispered, so low that even **he** had trouble hearing her. She definitely couldn't walk with those wounds, so he picked her up and carried her back to her mother.

They walked together in silence. "Lady Kagome?" he asked, shaking her a little. When he saw that her eyes were closed, he realized that she was only sleeping. _'What has Father gotten me into?'_

"Kagome? Kagome, wake up. Kagome?"

Kagome opened her eyes only to meet Kaede's. "Finally! I thought you'd never wake up!" Kagome rose from the futon she had been sleeping on. "Kaede? Where…Am I?" she said. She looked around and saw Inutaisho, Kikyou, Lady Nanami, Inuyasha, Tomoko, Miyuki, Sesshoumaru and Rie, all sitting around her. "Why is everyone just sitting here?" she asked. Her aunt gave her a warm smile. "You don't remember, dear?" she asked softly. "Remember what?"

They all looked at Sesshoumaru. "Son?" his Father said. He looked at Kagome. She just looked at him blankly. "The guard that attacked you. The one that gave you that bruise," he said, pointing at her cheek. She felt it and felt a bandage. She then suddenly remembered, "Oh yeah! The crazed youkai in the hallway!" Sesshoumaru nodded. Lady Nanami spoke up, "Why would he hurt you?" Kagome shrugged. "He said 'Nobody trespasses on my guarding area' and then he attacked me." she said. Inuyasha shook his head. "You were too far in the castle. We didn't tell all the guards that we would be having guests today," he said. "Only the ones near the front door. He had no clue who you were, so he attacked."

"Oh. Oops," she said, smacking her thigh. She then yelped in pain. "Ow, ow! Forgot about that." Kikyou gave out a little laugh. She was accompanied by Tomoko. Then Kaede joined in, followed by Inutaisho. Soon enough, everyone in the room, except Sesshoumaru and Kagome, was laughing. Kagome sighed. _'There is **never** one day where someone **isn't** laughing at me!'_

When the laughter died down, Inutaisho spoke up, "I think you should all stay for the night. It's not safe for the Lady to travel with such wounds, right Kagome-sama?" She laughed and nodded. "I guess we could spend the night," she said. She turned to Kikyou and Kaede. "Do you have any problem with that, girls?"

The girls shook their heads. "Alright then, it's settled." Inutaisho stood. "We have several empty bedrooms on the third floor, if that's not a problem." Lady Nanami shook her head.

Inutaisho turned to Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, "Sesshoumaru, please carry Lady Kagome to her room and Inuyasha, please bring her futons and bed sheets for her servant to carry." They both nodded and stood to do their job. Sesshoumaru picked Kagome up and walked her out of the room. They walked in silence, going up two flights of stairs to her bedroom. He slid open the door and walked in. He sat her next to the wall. He sat next to her. "Sesshoumaru-sama, how old are you?" Kagome asked. He looked at her and it made her uneasy. "Um, if you don't mind my asking…"

"Kagome-sama, how old do I look?" he asked. She pondered for a moment. "Uh…Well, seventeen or eighteen, I guess." she replied. He gave a small chuckle. "I am 500 years old."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "500 YEARS OLD!" she exclaimed. She couldn't believe it! "Woah…" she whispered to herself. "I guess that means your engaged to Kikyou," she said. "I am." he replied.

The door then opened and Miyuki walked in with a futon and some bedsheets, along with a yukata for Kagome. "Mistress, here are your things," she said, beginning to fix the futon. Sesshoumaru rose and started to walk out. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome called after him. He just kept walking.

"What do you think of Lady Kikyou, brother?"

Sesshoumaru kept walking, completely ignoring his younger brother. Not only was he a hanyou, but he was annoying too. "Really, I think she's absolutely gorgeous," Inuyasha said. "Can you not see that she is empty inside? Her beauty is only exterior." Sesshoumaru replied, walking even faster. "Empty? No, I don't think so," Inuyasha said, trying to catch up to his older brother. "Are you saying that because she's human?" Sesshoumaru stopped. "No. I'm saying that because it is true." He continued to make his way to his Father's study. When they reached it, he slid open the door and sat before his Father. "Yes?" his Father said. Sesshoumaru sighed. "Father, I'm supposed to marry her? Can you not see beyond her looks?" he said. His Father only nodded. He was beginning to think that his Father truly did not understand what he was trying to tell him. "So?"

"Sesshoumaru, can you see beyond her looks?" his Father asked. "Of course I can. She is empty inside. She only has exterior beauty," he replied. "Alright then, now you have to see beyond your understanding, my son," Inutaisho said. "You must accept that you may be wrong about her and that she may be a kind woman."

Sesshoumaru sighed. "I saw during the dinner. She was looking at you the whole time. She likes you."

Sesshoumaru snorted, "Well, it doesn't mean that **I** like **her**."

"Sesshoumaru, you will marry Lady Kikyou. And Inuyasha will marry Lady Kagome. Is that clear?" his Father ordered strictly. Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, Father."

**(A/N:) That's Chapter 1 for ya! It was pretty long to write, I have to say. Anyway, as you can see, Kikyou isn't as mean (except for banging Rie's head in the carriage…Yeah, that was mean, wasn't it?) as you would expect her to be. Well, I don't like to give away my story lines, but I'll tell you this: I DON'T LIKE KIKYOU. Fill in the blanks my friends! Lol!**

**Also, you can see how much Inutaisho wants Sesshoumaru to marry Kikyou. You want to know why? Well, I'll only say this once: Sesshoumaru can't see beyond people until he let's go of his hatred for their exterior, ex.: humans. Yup, that's my philosophy…J/K! I'm only thirteen. I don't know anything about philosophy…I think. Anyway, please read and review people! The most important time to review is the 1st Chapter. Honestly. It gives the author a reason to get back to the writing quicker. Really.**

**Oh, yeah! Forgot to mention that this is a DOUBLE POST. So please, read on!**

**Emerald Maiden**


	2. Chapter 2

'Til Death Do Us Part 

**(A/N :) Hey and hello to everyone. Emerald Maiden here with Chapter 2 of 'Til Death…'. I decided to make it a double post because every time I read a story and there's one chapter, I feel all excited about it and I just can't wait for the second one, so to save you the anxiety, I wrote this chapter right after the first one. **

**Also, a lot of people are probably wondering what song Kagome was singing in the first chapter : it's 'My Will'. You know the first ending song for the anime? Yeah, that one! I found the English translation for the Japanese lyrics and I wrote them, because, my friends, this is an English fanfiction. Simple, ain't it?**

**Oh, and one question you're all probably dying to ask me: " Do you know where you're going with this?"**

**I actually have an idea for my plot and the story's point, but besides that, no. To create my chapters, I sit down with a pencil and a paper and I draw/write what I want to have happen in the chapter, always making sure that it's coherent with the point of my fic. (Woah, did that make sense?) So, in a way, I do know what I want to happen. But remember that in my fanfictions, anything goes.**

**Well, now that I finished frightening some of you, here's Chapter 2! (Hey, that rhymed!)**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own it.**

**Chapter 2: Consequences**

"No, no, Kagome! It's step-foot-step-pivot!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "What difference does it make?" Kaede snorted, "It makes that you're **doing it wrong**!" She clapped her hands together and shouted, "Alright, everyone, take a break!"

Kikyou, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and Kagome all stopped dancing. "Finally," Inuyasha muttered. Kagome laughed at this. "Good thing we suck at this or we'd still be dancing, huh?" he said. That only made Kagome laugh harder. "I swear, Inuyasha, you're a piece of work," she said, leading him to the table with the refreshments. They had been practicing the dance for the engagement party; it was a traditional dance that the engaged couple did to show their love for each other. It was very romantic. **(A/N: I'm thinking, like, a ballroom dance or something of the sort. Okay?)**

Since both the weddings would be on the same day, all four of them had to spend the next 3 weeks preparing for the wedding. It really was exhausting.

Kaede walked over to them. "Mother says to 'give you a break'. So you guys have to be back in 30 minutes, not a second more." she told them. She turned around and left to join her Mother. Once she was gone, Kagome shot her fist into the air. "Yes!" she exclaimed. She turned to face Inuyasha and she smiled at him. They had hung out all morning together and she was really starting to like him. Really.

"So, what do you do for fun around here?" she asked, hooking her arm with his. He smiled at her. "Can you fight?" he asked, leading her towards the door. "I'm a pretty good archer." she replied. He nodded, "Good, then. Let's go." And with that, they left.

"That was rude," Kikyou said to Sesshoumaru. He didn't even acknowledge her. She poked him in the arm. "Hey, Sesshoumaru, I'm tal—"

He cut her off, "It is 'Sesshoumaru-**sama**' to you, Lady Kikyou." She narrowed her eyebrows at him. "What do you mean? We're going to get married, yet you won't even let me call you by your first name!" she said, clearly crossed. He glared at her. "Listen wen—"

In the back of his mind, Sesshoumaru recalled the conversation he had had with his Father the night before. The Great Western lord had been very angry with his eldest son. Sesshoumaru had **never**, **ever** seen him so mad before. Although he would rather die in a perilous battle than admit this, the young lord had never been more scared in his life (he obviously didn't show it). And it was all because of some pompous wench who was more fake than her own make-up. But still, he had to be nice to her, for his sake.

"I apologize, **Kikyou**. Of course you may call me by my first name." he said. She smiled smugly. "Alright then, let's go where they are going," she said, hooking her arm with his, imitating her cousin. "You know how to fight?" he asked her. She nodded, "I'm an awesome archer." He let her lead him to the courtyard when he and his brother usually trained with Tomoko.

_'Pompous wench.'_

"Bull's eye!" Kagome exclaimed as her arrow pierced the target. She and Inuyasha had been outside for the last fifteen minutes working on their archery. Inuyasha was amazed; she shot like she had been practicing since birth! "Wow, Kagome, you're great!" he complimented. She smiled sheepishly. "Thanks. I've been practicing for a long time now," she said, readying her bow for another shot. Right then, Kikyou and Sesshoumaru walked in, completely distracting Kagome. She let her arrow fly, but she missed the target by a long shot.

Kikyou laughed at this. "Well Kagome, we now know that you're a terrible archer!" she said, grabbing a bow and a quiver filled with arrows. She readied her bow and shot her arrow, hitting the target but missing the bull's eye. "That's what you think, Kikyou." Kagome replied, readying her bow once again. The look on her face was that of complete concentration. She finally shot her arrow and hit the bull's eye. Inuyasha clapped for her and she only chuckled. She bowed to him saying, "Thank you, thank you!" He laughed and put his bow and arrows down. He then noticed Sesshoumaru looking at him.

He walked over to him. "Is there something wrong?" he said, a bit too sarcastically for Sesshoumaru. _'Who the hell does this brat think he is? This Sesshoumaru will not allow it.' _He looked at Inuyasha dead in the eyes. "You are misleading her aren't you?" he said. Inuyasha smirked. "You can read me like a book, brother,"

They both looked over to the two girls, who were both trying to prove to God-knows-who their archery skills. They looked back at each other. "Why would you do that?" Sesshoumaru asked. Inuyasha looked at him quizzically. "Sesshoumaru, must you really ask? Just look at her!" he said, pointing at her. He was right—Kagome seemed to have the body of a goddess. And her eyes!

Inuyasha turned back to his older brother, "See?". Sesshoumaru glared at him. "Weren't you interested in the older wench yesterday?" Inuyasha turned and walked away, saying, "Didn't you not give a damn about what I thought yesterday? Why the sudden interest?"

Sesshoumaru was ready to leap and tear his hanyou brother into pieces, but he was too perplexed with his own thoughts. _'I do not care about those ningen…_**_Sure you don't…_**

Huh? His conscience? Didn't he get rid of that years ago? _'Don't start with me…_**_What are you going to do? Beat yourself to death?_**_…Silence! I got rid of you before and I can do it again…__**No. This time you won't because this time, you need me…**Need you for what purpose?…**That, you will find out on your own, my frigid self…**'_

Sesshoumaru turned back to the others and looked at Kagome. She stood apart of Kikyou and Inuyasha since he was completely ogling the wench—he had completely ditched Kagome. The raven-haired girl sighed as she put away her bow and arrows. "Inuyasha, I think I'm gonna go," she said. He hadn't even heard her. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Okay everyone! You've got dances to learn," Tomoko said, entering the courtyard. She walked right past Kikyou and Inuyasha, going near Sesshoumaru. "Sorry, but Kaede-sama sent me." He gave her a nod.

Suddenly, they heard a loud scream from the castle. "What the?" Tomoko said, whipping her head around, looking for the source of the scream. "Hey, that sounds like…Nanami-sama!"

"Put her down!" Inutaisho ordered. The fiend only laughed. "Don't even think about transforming, unless you want her head to come off," he threatened.

The door was then slid open and Kagome, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Kikyou and Tomoko came running in.

Kagome gasped when she saw her aunt, unconscious in the youkai's grasp. "Ah…Sakura you've finally come," he said, looking straight at Kagome. He turned back to Inutaisho, grinning. "I'll give you the Lady if you give me Sakura." he said, turning back to Kagome. "Sakura?" the Western lord asked, completely confused. The demon swooped in and grabbed Kagome by the waist. "Her! She is Sakura!" he said.

Everyone turned and looked at each other quizzically. They turned back to the angered youkai. "Her name is Kagome," Tomoko said, unsheathing her sword. Inuyasha turned to look at her. "When did you take that?" he asked her. She smirked at him. "I **always** have it with me," she replied. "Just in case, you know?"

She jumped, ready to slice the demon to bits. "Tomoko, NO!" She stopped mid-air, but the demon whacked her with its tail. He laughed maniacally as she landed, hitting the wall as she did. It turned back to Inutaisho. "So what will it be? The Lady or Sakura?"

"Give us Saku—I mean Kagome!" a voice shouted from behind them. They all turned and saw Miyuki standing there. "Miyuki, shut up!" Kikyou shouted back, smacking her forehead. The demon squeezed his prey. "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

Suddenly, the demon screamed in anguish, then blew up into bits. Lady Nanami fell, but was caught by something else. A being in a baboon costume flew in from the spot where the demon had exploded. "Sorry about that," it said. It held Lady Nanami and stood in front of the now unconscious Kagome. "Let me introduce myself. I am Naraku and I would like to make a deal with you, lord Inutaisho," Naraku said. "You already know it: the Lady or Sakura."

Sesshoumaru emitted a low growl. "Young lord, I strongly suggest you do not transform, unless you wish to receive the worst of consequences…" Naraku said. But Sesshoumaru didn't listen. Something in the back of his mind was screaming, **_Help her! Help Kagome!_** He immediately transformed. Naraku grinned evilly and dropped the Lady. A mist of miasma grew and engulfed him, as he laughed.

"Oh! This should be very, **very** interesting." And with that, he disappeared. But suddenly, Sesshoumaru felt dizzy and nautious…_'What…What is happening to m—'_

He blacked out.

_'**It is done…**What? What is done?…**Your lesson has finally begun…**Lesson?…**When you wake up, you will understand. You did it for her and now she will save you…**Who? Who will save me?…**Rather than ask questions, look for answers…**You know, the more you talk, the more I despise you…**Indeed.**'_

Sesshoumaru awoke with a blistering headache. He slowly opened his eyes and heard familiar voices echoing throughout the room. "My lord, he will not take the news well," a voice said. _'Tomoko…'_

He heard a sigh. "Indeed he will not, but we—he—cannot let this stop him from destroying the foul demon who placed this curse on him." Another voice joined the conversation. _'Father…'_ "But the demon warned him. I don't understand why he would still transform." another voice replied. Sesshoumaru rose from the futon he was laying on. "Oh, Sesshoumaru, you're awake!" Tomoko said. He slowly nodded since his head was still throbbing. He looked at her, then he looked at his Father. "What won't I let stop me from destroying the demon?" he asked. Inutaisho closed his eyes, then sighed.

Kagome walked over to him with a mirror. She handed it to him and sighed also. He looked at her, then looked at the mirror to see why she was so uneasy. And find out he did. "What the?"

His once silver locks were now black. His ears were no longer pointy, his claws were now simple nails, his eyes were now a dull green and his fangs had retracted. To sum it all up, he had been turned into what he hated most; what he truly and utterly loathed with all his heart: a **human**.

"What in the seven hells is this?" he asked, feeling his now dark mane. Kagome took the mirror away from him. "The demon had a spell put on the castle. That's why he kept telling your Father **not** to transform unless he wanted to be cursed," she said. "You didn't listen for some odd reason and the curse affected you."

So now he was to be a simple human? A pitiful, useless ningen?

"Unacceptable," Sesshoumaru, muttered. Kagome looked up to see a very angry youkai, um, ningen. "Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked. He stood from the futon and stared down at his Father. "I will kill this Naraku and he will give me an antidote for this." Tomoko sighed. "Sesshoumaru, it won't be that easy, especially in your…Condition," she said. She stood so she could look him in the eye. They glared at each other for a while, as if they were battling it out through only their looks. "I'm coming with you, no questions asked." she told him. He finally nodded and she smiled in victory. They both looked at Inutaisho for approuvement. When he finally nodded, Kagome said, "I wanna come too," she said, standing also. Tomoko looked at her quizzically. "Well, he was after me, wasn't he? You could use me to trap him, or something." she said. The Taiyoukai shook his head. "No, Lady Kagome, it would be much too dangerous." he told her.

She narrowed her eyebrows at him. "But it wouldn't be dangerous for anyone else?" she said angrily. He was taken aback by her statement. "Lady Kagome, please…" he said. "No, I will not 'please'! Listen, it would be dangerous with or without me there and with all due respect, they won't be able to get that antidote without me." She finished her statement and crossed her arms firmly across her chest. The room was silent.

Suddenly, Inutaisho started to laugh. "Huh?" Kagome said, dumbfounded. That only made the Taiyoukai laugh harder. "What did I do?" she asked. When he had regained his composure and had wiped the tears of laughter off of his face, Inutaisho looked at Kagome. "What will you do to help them?" he asked her. "I'm a very good archer," she told him. He nodded. "Hmmm…I don't know…"

"She is very good, Father." Sesshoumaru said, interrupting his Father's thoughts. The Taiyoukai nodded. "Alright then, but Inuyasha will go as well." Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyebrows at his Father, but his Father gave him a 'don't-even-go-there' look. The young lord sighed and bowed to his Father.

Kagome beamed. "Yes!" Everyone turned to look at her. She smiled sheepishly. "Um, yeah."

"Master, are you sure she is the one?"

Naraku watched Kagome and the others through Kanna's mirror. "Yumi, are you doubting me?" he asked her. She shook her head. "No, Master, of course not." she replied, bowing to him. He smiled evilly. "Good then. You know what you have to do."

She nodded and turned to her companions. Ruri, Hari, Taki and Kari all nodded. "Alright. Let's go get us a sakura." she said. And with that, they left to catch their prey, an unsuspecting fifteen year-old with an incredible past.

Sesshoumaru sighed as he lay on his futon in his large bedroom. It was probably midnight by now, but the young lord just couldn't get to sleep. Not only was he a ningen, he also could no longer go for midnight strolls by the creek on the eastern side of the castle. But unfortunately, that wasn't the only reason for his insomnia; there was a certain fifteen year-old who was in his mind 24/7.

_'Why do I keep thinking of her? She's only a mere human…**And apparently, so are you…**Shut up. I wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you…**What do you mean?…**Don't play dumb with me. You're the one who told me to save her…**I did no such thing…**Please. Don't lie to me. I know it was you…**Oh, really?**…Of course…**Ah, but how do you know it wasn't you?…**Because I do not care for ningen…**Yet you tried to save her anyway…**I don't even hate you anymore, I loathe you…**I have no doubt in my mind that you don't…**You mean 'my' mind…**It's the same thing, my friend. I am you and you are me…**That's what you think…**Ah, but my friend, it's what I know. It's what I know…**Yes, of course.'_

**(A/N:) There's Chapter 2 for you! I hope it was good, since it took me a really long time to make it sound like I wanted it to. I know this story seems a little crazy, but work with me here! The hardest part is to make Sesshoumaru sound nice, without taking away all of his meanness. So, to make you all happy and to make this story more realistic, Sesshoumaru is gonna get a lot meaner 'cause something's gonna happen with Kagome. That's all I'm saying. (I don't wanna ruin the story, so yeah.) Anyway, I wanna hear your feedback on this Chapter. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping that it's good feedback.**

**Also, I'm open to any ideas you guys might have for the story. Really, I am. Well, that's all, so REVIEW! I'm begging you ! (Okay, so what if I'm not?) Lol! So, see ya next chapter!**

**Emerald Maiden**


End file.
